Few brands have the loyal following of In-N-Out Burger. If you live outside of California, it’s hard to really understand just how beIoved the brand is among its fans. If you live in California, it’s just a part of the experience. Until you leave, that is.
Most of that love comes from the fact that, as far as fast food goes, In-N-Out is about as good as it gets. Of course, a lot of its appeal also comes from the fact that the company’s 385 locations are located almost entirely in California and its neighboring states.
If, however, you live any further east of the Rockies, you’ve been out of luck. If that’s you, your only opportunity has been to find one when you travel west. Well, until now.
Last week, the company announced that it would be opening a corporate hub in Franklin, Tennessee, which will allow it to expand further east. In-N-Out also says it will be opening its first stores in the Nashville area by 2026.
If you’re a fan of animal-style fries, you understand that this is a big deal. It’s also a huge risk for the company and its brand. Here’s why:
This is a company that is fiercely opposed to change. It hasn’t added a menu item since 2018 (hot chocolate). It still sells just burgers, fries, soft drinks, and milkshakes. As a result, the restaurant is known for both fresh, great-tasting food and incredible customer service. I can think of only one other restaurant where you can get in a drive-thru line 30 cars deep and still have hot food in just a few minutes, and that one isn’t open on Sundays.
There is clearly a lot of demand for new locations. That seems like an argument for expanding to new states, but it’s also why the move is risky.
You see, over the past 75 years, In-N-Out has jeaIously guarded its brand. A big part of that has meant recognizing that fast growth isn’t everything if it means compromising quality. After all, quality is its brand.
In-N-Out only uses fresh, never-frozen ingredients–including its beef. That makes its burgers and fries taste better, but it also means the restaurant is limited in the areas it can serve.
The company also doesn’t franchise its locations. That has allowed it to maintain far more control over the level of service its restaurants provide, but has also meant it kept things close to home.
“You put us in every state and it takes away some of its luster,” said In-N-Out president Lynsi Snyder in a 2018 interview. She was right. Part of the reason the company’s burgers have such a loyal following is because they’re hard to get–especially if you live east of the Rocky Mountains.
It takes a lot of courage–if you think about it–to resist the temptation to grow at all costs. The thing is, most companies don’t consider that those costs are real, even if they aren’t immediately obvious. If the quaIity of your product gets worse the more customers you serve, you’re doing it wrong.
If, suddenly, there are In-N-Out Burger locations everywhere, it’s not as special. If you’re used to swinging by the Sepulvida location when you land at Los Angeles International Airport, and eating a Double-Double while watching planes land, it’s not quite as special an experience if you can get one on your way home from work.
On the other hand, there is value in meeting your customers where they are. In-N-Out is a restaurant, after all, not an amusement park. Sure, people look forward to eating there when they travel, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to grow–even if that means cautiously.
“Our Customers are our most important asset at In-N-Out, and we very much look forward to serving them in years to come, and becoming part of the wonderfuI communities in The Volunteer State,” said Synder in a statement. That’s an important acknowledgment–the part about customers being the company’s most important asset.
The interesting lesson here is that there is a balance between exclusivity and meeting your customers where they are. For a variety of reasons, In-N-Out has erred on the side of sticking close to home, even if that means it can’t serve all of its customers. That’s been a winning strategy so far, and I don’t think that will change just because it’s sIowly starting to open more locations farther east.
You Won’t Believe How Much John Travolta’s Daughter Looks Like Him at the 2024 Academy Museum Gala
John Travolta recently showed up at a big event in California with his oldest child. Like before, people were talking about which parent she looks like more.
On October 19, 2024, John Travolta caught the attention of many when he attended The Fourth Annual Academy Museum Gala with his daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta. Photos of the pair had people debating whether Ella looks more like her late mother, Kelly Preston, or her father.
John Travolta recently attended a big event in Los Angeles with his oldest child. The two posed together for red carpet photos, with Ella linking her arm through her father’s as they smiled for the cameras.
After their photos were shared on social media, many people commented on how much Ella looked like her father. One person wrote, “She is his twin! His beautiful daughter .” Another commenter noted, “All I see is her dad, lol. Like his mini-me.”
Some agreed with the comparisons, saying, “She’s beautiful! She has her dad’s eyes!” Others thought Ella resembled her late mother, Kelly Preston. One comment said, “I see her mom in her. Blessings to them. He seems to be a great father.”
Another user added, “The older she gets, the more she looks like Kelly Preston. What a beautiful young woman. You’ve done well, John. You must be so proud of her.” Someone else observed, “Ella’s resemblance to her mom Kelly is striking; she’s gorgeous!”
For those who had a different opinion, one person remarked, “She is the spitting image of her mom!” Another noted, “I think she is a perfect mix of them both. She is stunning.”
One netizen shifted the focus back to John, saying, “He is such a good man and a good father
When John and Ella appeared at the 2024 Paris Olympics on August 3, fans again noticed their resemblance. They attended to support the USA’s gymnasts, and many commented on how alike they looked.
One observer said, “She looks just like him,” while another remarked, “Look at his beautiful daughter, who is his doppelganger.” A third fan added, “She took his whole face!”
Others praised Ella, with one fan saying, “Wow she is beautiful .” Longtime fans of John, who remembered his role in the 1978 classic “Grease,” noted similarities between him and Ella. One fan said, “She’s John in Grease ,” and another added, “She is his twin from his younger days. Just watched Grease; never realized how handsome he was.”
Some fans also saw a resemblance to Uma Thurman’s character from “Pulp Fiction,” where John co-starred. One observer suggested, “She looks like she can star in Pulp Fiction.”
At the Academy Museum Gala, both wore matching black outfits. John wore a dark blazer, a matching T-shirt, blue jeans, sunglasses, and black shoes. Ella’s outfit featured a sleeveless black cropped top and high-waisted pants, which she paired with a black beret and strappy heels.
The pair sat in the VIP section with other celebrities, cheering for US gymnast Simone Biles during the finals.
In April 2024, Ella debuted her new bob haircut on Instagram, showing off her dark brown locks styled to frame her face. She playfully captioned the photo, “Fresh cut grass.”
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